Transport containers



Feb. 8, 1966 K. GOHMANN 3,233,772

TRANSPORT CONTAINERS Original Filed May 31, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 8, 1966 K. GOHMANN 3,233,772

TRANSPORT CONTAINERS Original Filed May 51, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,233,772 TRANSPORT CONTAINERS Karl Giihmann, Haarstrasse 6, Hannover, Germany Original application May 31, 1961, Ser. No. 113,900, new Patent No. 3,154,316, dated Oct. 27, 1964. Divided and this application Oct. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 401,490 3 Claims. (Cl. 217-57) In forwarding goods, particularly in the case of rail traflic, small portable containers with a volumetric capacity up to about three cubic meters are frequently used. These include iron-bound wooden chests, on which running wheels are permanently mounted. These chests have angle irons on the edges. The lid of the chest is longitudinally divided in the middle. The front portion of the lid is hinged to the rear portion for rocking upwards, or else is hinged to a reinforcing rib extending parallel to the hinge. The angle iron on the front edge of the lid engages over the front wall of the chest when the lid is closed, and can be held fast with a toggle-lever fastening mounted towards the front on each side wall. This fastening is secured against unauthorised opening by means of a lock and a leaden seal.

The transversely extending boards of the front wall of the container are removably inserted. The front wall of the transport container can therefore be removed for the loading and unloading of the container as soon as the lid is opened. The lid however can only be opened when the transport container is standing independently, that is, when no load is placed on top of the container to be opened. This renders it difficult to load and unload such containers in warehouses.

On the other hand, the fixed under-carriage or bogie on these transport containers involves a considerable loss of available vertical space in wagons, on motor lorries or in the warehouse.

This invention relates to transport containers with removable under-carriages or running mechanism for forwarding goods, which can be locked to the container mounted thereon, and in which the front wall of the transport container, or at least a part including the upper transverse board, is so arranged as to be rockable forwards. The container is a wooden transport container having armoured edges, and including front, side, rear and bottom walls. The front wall includes at least one transversely extending wooden board, removably inserted and guided in armouring means provided along the front upright edges of the container. The lid of the container includes a rear portion, and an upwardly rockable front portion hinged to the said rear portion. When the lid is closed, one flange of an L-shaped armouring angle bar extending along the front edge of the front portion of the lid engages over the upper edge of the front wall. The armouring elements at the ends of at least the upper portion of the front wall are hinged to the armouring elements irnmeditely below them, so as to enable these upper armouring elements to be rocked forward when the lid is opened.

A toggle lever is mounted on the lateral flange of each of the armouring angle irons along the front upright edges of the container, and a shackle is mounted on each lateral edge of the front portion of the lid, and is adapted to co-operate with the said toggle lever so as to secure the front portion of the lid and the upper portion of the front wall together when the front wall is rocked back into contact with the end walls of the container.

On each side of the container a lug secured to the side Wall passes through a slot in the lateral flanges of the angle-iron armouring on the front upper edge of the container and also through a slot in the toggle lever, this lug being formed with an aperture adapted to accommodate a padlock.

One embodiment of the invention in which the front upright armouring elements are hinged at an intermediate point of their height is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view, obliquely from the front, of the closed upper part of the container;

FIGURE 2, a view similar to FIGURE 1, with part of the front wall rocked outwards;

FIGURE 3, a front view of the edge of the container on the right-hand side;

FIGURE 4, a side view of the toggle-lever closure of FIGURE 3; and

FEGURE 5, a section through the edge-armouring, with the removable board of the front wall.

With the transport container according to the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 5, a forwardly rockable front wall member which includes the upper transverse board of the front wall, can be rocked outwards after lifting the front half of the lid. The lid can then be closed again, and a load may be placed upon it. Owing to this outwardly rocked front wall, or the outwardly rocked part of the front wall, the front wall can now be opened without it being necessary to remove the load placed upon the container, by lifting out the transverse front boards one after another.

In this case the front portion 61 of the'lid is attached to the rear portion 63 thereof by a hinge 62. The angleiron armouring of the lid is denoted by 64, and that of the under portion of the container by 65. The armouring elements 65' at the ends of the upper board '70 of the front wall are hinged to the armouring elements 65 immediately below them. Thus the said upper board 70, together with its armouring elements 65, can be rocked forward when released from the front portion 61 of the lid. Upon the lateral flange of each of these rockable armouring angle irons 65 is mounted a toggle lever 66, provided with a link which engages in a shackle 67 on the side armouring 64 of the front portion 61 of the lid. This link, when engaged in the shackle 67, and with the toggle lever turned down, secures the lid against being opened, and, provided the angle-iron armouring along the front edge of the lid is engaged over the upper edge of the front Wall, also prevents the front wall from being opened. A lug 69, secured to the side wall of the container, extends through a slot in the armouring angle 65', and also through a slot in the toggle lever 66, and the clamp of a padlock can be passed through a hole in this lug, when the toggle lever is turned down, so as to lock the container.

The lug 69 also extends through a. relatively large slot 68 in the side flange of the armouring member 65', so as to permit the upper portion of the front wall to swing open when the toggle lever 66 is lifted clear of the ing 69. The amplitude of this swing is limited by the inner end of the slot 68 meeting the lug 69.

A hole 69' (FIGURE 3) through the lug 69 and through the toggle lever serves for the passage of a seal wire. The removable boards of the front wall are denoted by '70.

I claim:

1. A wooden transport container, comprising: front, side, rear and bottom walls, the front wall consisting of at least one transverse board, armouring angle irons along the edges of the container, the armouring along the front upright edges of the container being L-shaped channel guides in which, when the lid is opened, the front wall can slide up and down and can be withdrawn in an upward direction, a lid having a stationary rear portion and an upwardly rockable front portion hinged to the stationary rear portion, the armouring along at least the front edge of the front portion of the lid being an L- shaped angle bar adapted to engage over the upper edge of the front wall to prevent removal thereof when the container is closed, means allowing at least a portion of the armouring at the ends of the front Wail to be rocked forward when the front portion of the lid is raised, shackles on the ends of the frontportion of the lid, toggle levers on the side flanges of the L-shaped armouring rockable portions, means adapted to engage the said toggle levers with the said shackles when the lid is closed, and means for locking the toggle levers in their closed position.

2. A wooden transport container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side flange of the rockable armouring portion on each side of the container is formed with a Wide siot, and the container further comprises a lug on each side wall adapted to extend through the said slot, and thereby to restrict the amplitude of forward rocking of the said rockable armouring portion by the rear end of the slot coming into contact with the lug.

3. A wooden transport container as claimed in claim 2,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 416,414 12/1889 Miller 217-58 435,541 9/1890 Harrison 217-58 439,439 10/1890 Standing et al. 21758 1,030,111 6/1912 Miller 312290 1,473,611 11/1923 Christophel 292247 1,566,545 12/1925 Larson 312210.5 1,919,898 7/1933 Martin 312-290 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WOODEN TRANSPORT CONTAINER, COMPRISING: FRONT, SIDE, REAR AND BOTTOM WALLS, THE FRONT WALL CONSISTING OF AT LEAST ONE TRANSVERSE BOARD, ARMOURING ANGLE IRONS ALONG THE EDGES OF THE CONTAINER, THE ARMOURING ALONG THE FRONT UPRIGHT EDGES OF THE CONTAINER BEING L-SHAPED CHANNEL GUIDES IN WHICH, WHEN THE LID IS OPENED, THE FRONT WALL CAN SLIDE UP AND DOWN AND CAN BE WITHDRAWN IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION, A LID HAVING A STATIONARY REAR PORTION AND AN UPWARDLY ROCKABLE FRONT PORTION HINGED TO THE STATIONARY REAR PORTION, THE ARMOURING ALONG AT LEAST THE FRONT EDGE OF THE FRONT PORTION OF THE LID BEING AN LSHAPED ANGLE BAR ADAPTED TO ENGAGE OVER THE UPPER EDGE OF THE FRONT WALL TO PREVENT REMOVAL THEREOF WHEN THE CONTAINER IS CLOSED, MEANS ALLOWING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE ARMOURING AT THE ENDS OF THE FRONT WALL TO BE ROCKED FORWARD WHEN THE FRONT PORTION OF THE LID IS RAISED, SHACKLES ON THE ENDS OF THE FRONT PORTION OF THE LID, TOGGLE LEVERS ON THE SIDE FLANGES OF THE L-SHAPED ARMOURING ROCKABLE PORTIONS, MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE SAID TOGGLE LEVERS WITH THE SAID SHACKLES WHEN THE LID IS CLOSED, AND MEANS FOR LOCKING THE TOGGLE LEVERS IN THEIR CLOSED POSITION. 